Happy New Year! Charm City Running’s Resolution 5k

This was an interesting day, and the most unusual 5k yet.  It had nothing to do with the event itself.  The event was well organized, I liked the course, and everyone looked quite happy.  I do wish they had early packet pick up at the Charm City Run store in Timonium.  I hate the extra stress of getting the numbers at the race.

So, I will give you a little back story first.  Earlier last week I signed my wife and I up for the race with the idea that I would push Theo in the B.O.B. Stroller.  We went over to a neighbors house on New Year’s Eve and I asked if they would be interested in running the race with us.  The wife Mara is a runner and her husband Brett is getting interested in running.  They also have a 2 year old and a 4 month old child that they would push too.  The race starts at 2 in the afternoon so you can drink and still clear your head before the run.  So now everyone is in and it sounds like we will have a lot of fun.

So we make it to the race and Theo is not interested in being in the stroller but, he accepts it for the time being.  Mara, Brett, Rachael, and Colin (The Shaws) are all doing great with their stroller.  We rush over to registration to get our numbers and while I am pinning my number on I hear the horn go off three minutes early.  We all hustle over to the start and join the runners.  Theo did fine for the first mile and then he started pitching a fit.  The only thing that calmed him was letting him out of the stroller so he could run too.  Theo is one year old, while I am a proud papa, he is not that fast yet.  Let me clarify, if there is a room you don’t want him to go into or an open refrigerator, he is lightning fast, a blur!  But distance events he is not that fast.  We told Mara and Brett to go ahead and we walked with Theo for about three quarters of a mile.  Then I put him back in the stroller with his screaming protests and just suffered the “Why did you bring your kid out here on this frigid day” looks from the other runners.  We eventually finished, snapped a quick photo with the Shaws (see below), and tried to make it to the post race chili. Theo would not have it so I skipped the chili (groan) and headed back home.

The funny thing is, although it did not go as planned and was all around out of control, we had a good time.  It was fun to go out on New Year’s Day and do something as a family with some friends.  Theo did great in the stroller for the 5 mile Turkey trot on Thanksgiving so, we will give it another shot again and see if maybe it was a fluke.

Rachael, Mara, Cindy, Theo

Colin, Rachael, Brett, Mara, Me, Cindy, Theo

-believeintherun